Former Amazon Web Services employees merge cloud consulting firms

Two former Amazon.com employees are merging their cloud computing startups, hoping to grab a bigger pool of clients that need help transitioning to cloud-based infrastructure.

Tacoma-based Options I/O — started by former Amazon Web Services sales executive Matthew Scott — and Santa Monica, California-based DualSpark — led by former AWS manager Simon Plant — are combining operations in a deal of undisclosed size that they say will “deliver world-class service, support and enablement to our clients and partners.”

As a result of the deal, Scott will join DualSpark as vice president of alliances and sales. The combined company will have 25 employees, with both brands remaining.

Scott and Plant met after their time at Amazon while working on AWS projects for clients. Both companies are exclusively working with AWS implementations, alongside partners such as Seattle-based Chef.

“We realized that we could help the AWS ecosystem even more together by combining teams,” Scott tells GeekWire. He created Options I/O in 2011, saying that he saw a big opportunity to help large enterprise customers figure out their cloud strategy.

Scott said the company received several acquisition offers prior to the deal with DualSpark. The growth in both businesses continues as more companies move to the cloud, with DualSpark now adding about five new employees per month.

“We’re seeing tremendous demand from our customers who need their initiatives to quickly deliver results,” said Plant. “Matthew’s industry networks, combined with the deep talent of the cloud veterans at DualSpark, plus the cutting edge technology partnerships from the marketplace give our clients the confidence to forge ahead with their move to go all in with the cloud.”

DualSpark is an advanced consulting partner of AWS.

John Cook is GeekWire's co-founder and publisher, a veteran reporter and the longest-serving journalist on the Pacific Northwest tech beat. Follow him @johnhcook and email john@geekwire.com.

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